Aftermath 2
by CassieKnight
Summary: The sequel to Aftermath: Lex finds herself in an undesirable situation....but she's not the only one. Her boyfriend, Steven, has met up with someone...something...he never expected.
1. 1

**Author's Note**: So many people have been waiting for this sequel. Sorry it wasn't up sooner, but honestly when I had started earlier the inspiration wasn't flowing. Now it is and now its here! (although I'm not sure how much I'm liking it so far...this is more of a fun thing to write just for the hecks out of it) hehe. This chapter is kinda boring…naturally. My first chapters always are ;) Also note that mistakes are inevitable because I'm too lazy to reread what I wrotea habit I'm not used to and I'm very ashamed of. And lastly, a big thanks for Solain Rhyo for helping me sort out a few ideas and such.

Oh…and forgive me for lack of a better title. It's boring, but I couldn't think of anything else.

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**Aftermath 2**

**1.**

Alexa Woods tucked a black lock of hair behind her ear. Her vocal cords vibrated lightly with her small chuckle as she listened to a story being told by her dinner companions. The food on her plate had long gone cold and the only attention she gave it was an idle poke with her fork.

Alexa and her boyfriend of now one month, Steven Whiting, were seated on one side of a small rectangular table, their friend Mark and his knew wife Christy, seated directly across. It was a small celebration to welcome Mark back to the east coast after spending a year in South Dakota where he had been stationed for his military work.

"So then he tells me New England put together had as much snow as we had in our town back home," Christy laughed, nodding her head at her husband. Lex, though, looked at her with a fake smile and idly thought that this girl had no idea what a lot of snow looked like.

The group continued conversing as Mark looked at his cell phone attached to his belt. "Well, it's been fun," he said with a grin, "but I think its time to go before the manager kicks us out."

He was right; they had been there for nearly two hours, and the place looked like it was ready to close for the night. Alexa gathered her purse and coat and followed the other three people out the door and into the tiny parking lot in back.

"She's nice," Steven remarked once he and Lex were in the car and on the way back to her apartment.

"In a false sort of way," Lex mumbled, but Steven didn't hear her.

The drive was silent, except for the random remark at how cute and nice Christy was; Lex felt like returning her dinner at how much he seemed to admire her. By the time they parked in front of the apartment building, Lex was more than ready to get out and get upstairs. Steven followed her up, like he usually did, although she wished that he'd make it a five minute stay instead of an extra five hours.

Lex liked Steven—really. But she was easily annoyed for some strange reason. Unlike most women, she wasn't the cuddly, cutesy, "Christy-type;" Lex liked her space and Steven had a hard time remembering that. She didn't mind the homemade breakfasts and dinners, and the weekly bouquet of flowers he spoiled her with, but he wouldn't let her do anything in her own kitchen. She knew he meant well, but it still got on her nerves.

As soon as they were in the door Lex knew Steven was parking himself for a few hours when he took of his shoes and hung up both of their coats. Lex tried to hide the look of displeasure; she just wanted to sit down with something hot to drink and watch TV in hopes of falling asleep in front of it.

"Want some tea?" Steven asked.

"Should I be the one doing the offering?" Lex asked in return, a small smirk on her face.

"I don't climb up mountains every few weeks," he replied. "You should take it easy when you're home."

"Steven," Lex started as she rummaged through her purse for her cell phone so she could turn it off and not be bothered. "I'm old enough to take care of myself. I was able to do it before I met you."

"Yeah, but you know you like it," he said with a wink as he headed into the kitchen.

Lex shrugged as she made her way over to the television set and turned it on. For whatever reason, Lex had an interest in watching the nightly news instead of one of those shows where they find someone dead and use all sorts of ways to find out who, what, why, and when; reality shows annoyed her to no end—those people had no idea what it was really like to survive on your own. As she sat down, she glanced over her shoulder to see Steven getting two mugs from the cabinet. She sighed and turned her attention to the TV screen.

She had just come into the weather section—they were predicting "cold" weather for the remainder of the week. _Cold is fifty below zero, not thirty-two,_ she thought to herself as the two news anchors pretended to shiver from the weather report.

"In other news today," Jane Smith said, a small image of a warehouse popping up at the top corner of the screen next to her head, "police are investigating a mystery at Harbrid Meat Company. Harvey Harbrid, owner of the facility has reported several cow thighs and other pre-processed meat sections have disappeared from the warehouse."

Lex turned the volume up and stared at the screen. Jane Smith continued; "Police Chief Rob Dunn claims that the chains on the main door were cut clean with an unknown weapon. And this is the third time in the past week that Mr. Harbrid has found missing pieces from his warehouse. The investigation will continue throughout the weekend, but Mr. Harbrid says the facility will not close down during the time."

"What was that all about?" Steven asked sitting down next to Lex as she turned the volume back to its normal setting.

Lex didn't answer at first. She was wondering if there was a coincidence at stake—had Scar stuck around since he had "popped in" a few nights ago? She hoped not. She wanted him to go home, wherever that might be. She didn't hate him, but she didn't want him to think that because she allowed him to put the "T" mark on her cheek with the acid blood of an alien that she was his hunting partner or something.

"Lex?" Steven asked again, his head tilting to the side a little.

"Nothing," she said. She couldn't help but glance back over her shoulder at the spear hung on the wall, the one the predator elder had given her after the Bouvetoya Island incident.

She didn't realize that she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, she found herself using Steven as a pillow, who was nicely slumped in his spot on the couch. He too, was sleeping. Lex sat up and cracked her back. David Lettermen was on and talking to some actor she had never heard of before.

Standing up and heading into the kitchen, Lex paused and looked at the spear on the wall again. It was haunting her. She wished she had never got it, yet when she tried to hide it she felt that she was being ungrateful.

"Damn my life," she cursed softly to herself. Lex glanced back at Steven, still fast asleep on the couch. A half smile crept across her face. He was cute when he slept, especially when his glasses were crooked on the bridge of his nose. She should do something for him; what, she had no idea, but he deserved it. She really had no idea why or even how he put up with her. Especially her recent mood swings…she had to find a way to cure those.

The only thing she wanted to do now was sleep, but with Steven still here she felt bad for going into her room and leaving him alone on the couch. Lex sighed, her head hanging as she went into the hall closet and pulled out a blanket. The only thing she could do, really, was let him stay there. She wasn't that mean where she'd wake him up and tell him to get lost.

Lex sat down next to Steven, trying hard not to startle him. Sitting close, she tossed the large flannel blanket over their legs and rested her head on his shoulder once again. It wasn't too comfortable…then again, after a few moments, it didn't matter.

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	2. 2

**2.**

Thoughts of her job ran through Lex's head almost too often now. She sat at a conference table, listening about the latest problems the small company faced, and not a single word sank in. Did it really matter anymore? It had been her dream to work for some sort of environmental group, but after all these years, she was starting to feel…bored.

_Its Antarctica_, she snapped at herself. _Ever since that place you've been paranoid about everything. Give it up and get on with your life. _

Then again…she wondered if it was just Antarctica that was doing this to her. Lately she had been finding herself staying later and later, going over papers that seemed to be written in Greek rather than English. It had almost been a whole year—she should be better….should be.

The phone rang, her thoughts leaving her and bringing her back to her small cubicle in the office room. She stared at the black contraption for a moment, watching the red light next to line three flashing as each ring echoed in the fairly empty room. She didn't want to answer it. The last call she took was a scientist demanding that they set up an appointment to get going on the project he was conducting in the Alps.

Finally, she gave up. Maybe it was important. Maybe it was someone offering her a million dollars. "Alexa Woods," she answered dully.

"Hey you," Steven said, his voice soft and calming.

"Hi," she said in relief. "I'm glad you're you."

Steven laughed. "I think I am too," he replied. "Rough day?"

"Terrible," she told him truthfully. "I need a beach."

"Well, that could be arranged eventually," Steven said. "But how's dinner for tonight in the meantime?"

Lex looked at her small desk clock and sighed. "I didn't even realize it was nearly eight. I need to stop this."

"You're spending too much time at work and not enough time doing something you want to do. I left there hours ago and you were still staring at your desk," Steven told her. "You need to find a hobby."

"My hobby is my job," Lex reminded him. "It always has been. I go mountain climbing in dangerous areas for the hell of it."

"Yeah, but if that was offered to you right now, would you go?"

Lex fell silent.

"How about Vinny's? We haven't had Italian in a while."

"That's fine," she said. "Give me half an hour and I'll meet you there."

"I'll pick you up."

"No," Lex said softly. "I need the time alone. I'll meet you there in half an hour."

She heard Steven sigh with defeat. "All right, then. I love you."

"Love you too," she said with the same soft tone and hang up. Now that she thought of it, Italian food sounded good—she could really go for some chicken parm.

Leaving everything where it was, Lex switched off the desk light and got up. She had her black vest with her tonight instead of a coat; she put it on and zipped it up, added gloves to her hands and took hold of her purse. She didn't even look back at the mess of papers she'd curse herself for leaving when she returned in the morning, but she didn't care.

"Night, Larry," Lex said as she passed the security guard making his rounds in the hall.

"See you tomorrow, Lex," Larry replied. "Have a good night."

_I will_, Lex told herself as she hurried down the four flights of stairs of the building to the first floor. She was determined to enjoy herself tonight. _For once in your life, Lex, give it up and be happy._

When she stepped out onto the busy streets of Boston, Lex took in a deep breath of the crisp, autumn air. It chilly, but she liked it. She had no worry of walking to Vinny's. It was only a few blocks away. Besides, driving wasn't one of her favorite things—cars were nothing but a sin to the ozone.

Lex took a quick glance at her watch—8:15. She told Steven she'd meet him in half an hour, so he had better hurry. Finding a decent pace, Lex hurried through the small crowd of tourists that were standing in front of shop windows gazing in as if they had never seen a store before.

Hurrying across a street, down the sidewalk and turning the corner of the end-building, Lex saw that there were cops everywhere. There seemed to have been some sort of car accident where one car had hit another which ended up into a tree.

"Perfect," Lex moaned. It looked like people were gathered around the site to see what happened; she had no desire to fight her way through, if the cops would even let her.

The only alternative was that ally she passed a block back. She could cut through and reach the other side to the street Vinny's was on. No problem…she'd just be a few minutes late.

It seemed colder in the ally, not to mention much darker. There were only a few spot lights and they didn't do much to help. She cursed herself for choosing this route—it was long enough where she was probably wasting more time there than if she had tried to fight her way through the crowed at that accident.

She came out onto the next street she had thought would've been where she needed to go. She turned around and looked back at the dark path she came from. "Damn it," she said to herself trying to find out where she was. It was pretty much deserted and she couldn't figure out where she was. Then she remembered that she was thinking of that stupid sports bar she had gone to with Steven and Mark. "Damn," she repeated and headed down the street. Vinny's was the next block over. If she hurried, she'd still be only ten minutes late.

There were a few people roaming the streets, but most people had given up in the cold and had gone home. She was tempted to call a cab, but even those weren't lurking about. There never was when you needed one; after all, this wasn't New York.

Then…Lex's heart stopped. In front of her were five people that didn't look too friendly. Two stood over the hood of a car, while the other three seemed to be guarding the area.

_Just a few kids...Ignore them and you'll be fine,_ she told herself. She walked up further and then realized she should've quit while she was ahead. Now that she was only a few yards from them she saw one of the 'kids' had moved to the side of the car and started picking the lock. They were stealing the car. "Shit…" she said out loud without realizing it.

"Hey!"

Lex pretended she didn't hear whoever shouted at her. She quickly turned around and headed back to where she came. Her eyes searched the area for anyone she could run up to, but before she finish that search a hand grabbed her arm.

"Evenin' pretty lady," the thug said. His hair was jet black, greased into a tight pony tail; his face looked clean, but his hands were terribly dirty. He wore faded and ripped jeans and a shiny leather jacket that looked too good to be on him. "Where'd you be headin'?"

"Doesn't really matter, does it?" Lex snapped at him. "If you'd excuse me—"

"But I can't," he said, his bad marijuana breath making her nose cringe. "We thought you'd like to join our little party."

"Who've ya got there Mike?" Said another that looked similar to 'Mike' except his hair just looked like he washed it with dirt.

"A visitor," Mike replied. "Looks like she was headin' somewhere and went the wrong way."

"Yeah, and I need to be going; I'm late as it is," Lex said trying to pull her arm away from Mike's grip.

"We can help you out, can't we guys?" The other said over his shoulder. The remaining three came up, and Lex saw that the group consisted of four men, all of which looked like they had their vitamins, and a woman that looked as if she should on a cigarette ad.

"Jack, check to see what she's got on her," Mike said.

Jack, a shorter man with spiky blonde hair and three eyebrow rings reached over and took hold of Lex's purse. She tried desperately to pull away from them again, but Mike took hold of both her arms and kept her still.

The woman snatched the purse from Jack's hands and dumped out the contents on the sidewalk. Jack bent down and picked up her wallet while the woman spread out the other items, (including chap-stick, eye shadow, a cell phone, and a pack of tissues) with her foot.

"Boring bitch isn't she?" the woman smirked and looked at Lex as if she was some sort of insect.

"Drives a Beemer," an unnamed thug said.

"How ya know?" Jack asked.

"Keys—" He held up the black car key with the recognizable BMW symbol etched onto the side.

"What's your name?" Mike asked, Lex trying not to let his breath get to her. "I asked you a question, girl!"

"Alexa Woods," the fourth guy answered, holding up Lex's driver's license.

"Alexa? What kind of name is that?" The woman laughed and leaned over to get a better look at Lex.

Lex tried to figure out why anyone would wear so much makeup. She looked like a clown. "Did you guys ever hear of brushing your teeth?" Lex asked finally, knowing damn well she should've kept that to herself.

"You tryin' to tell us somethin'?" Mike said and shoved Lex into the hands of the one with the dirt hair. "Blade here likes black bitches," he said nodding to the man holding Lex.

"Blade?" She asked, trying hard not to tell them they were all stupid idiots that should go back to school and learn some grammar.

"I always carry a blade," he said with a snarl, whipping out a knife that had a blade of at least seven inches in length.

"This here's Sumo 'cause he's our China-man," Mike pointed out and Lex noticed that Sumo was indeed Chinese. "And here be my gal Jasmine."

Lex raised an eyebrow at this Jasmine—the name didn't fit her at all. Her hair was bleached blonde, skin that looked like it hadn't seen sun in years, and a nose ring that was much too obvious, not to mention that heavy makeup.

"So now you can be a part of our little family," Mike said coming up close. "'Cause we can't have ya going and telling nobody that you met us while we were having a few difficulties getting into our car over there."

"Oh, you were having problems? Here I thought you wanted to just take it for a test drive," Lex spat and looked away. Struggling against Blade's grip was pointless—his hands were tightly holding her arms where she wondered if he'd eventually cut off the blood flow.

"Bitch," Jasmine said.

"You seem to like that word," Lex said back very calmly. _Shut up, Lex.__ You're in deep enough trouble as it is…Where's a predator when you need one?_ She gave a slight smile at her own humor as she realized she wished one of those hunters would appear when earlier she wanted to forget they ever existed.

"What ya wanna do with her?" Sumo asked Mike, his words broken up terribly with his Chinese accent.

"I say use her and leave her hangin'," Jack said.

"Beat her for her stupid mouth," Jasmine suggested.

"Or both," Mike said and burst out laughing, the others going along with him. Lex gasped and struggled against Blade's hold. She started to yell out, but his large hand covered the lower portion of her face and muffled any screams for help she attempted to get out.

"Hold up!" Mike said holding his hand up. He leaned in closer and looked at Lex's chest. She gave him a look of pure hatred, wondering what the hell he was up to now. His hand reached out and picked up the necklace that had fallen free from Lex's button-up shirt.

"What is it?" Jasmine asked leaning over next to him.

"Looks like that blue gem," Sumo said.

"Sapphire, idiot," Mike said. "Where'd ya get this?"

"None of your business," Lex said. They'd never believe her anyway.

"I asked where ya got it!" Mike asked and pointed a gun directly in her face.

Lex looked at the black weapon with little fear; although, she wasn't in the mood to have her face blown away tonight. "It was a gift."

"What's it worth?" Jasmine asked her as she grabbed the trinket and pulled it off of Lex's neck, the leather-like wire snapping free.

"Nothing," Lex told her truthfully. "I don't even know what the hell it is."

"Sure ya don't," Mike said. "Put it on gorgeous." Jasmine did so and showed it off, the four men whistling.

"Hey—coppers," Sumo pointed down the street at a passing police unit in the intersection.

"Time to head home," Mike said and nodded for Blade to bring Lex along with them.

"Hey! Let me go!" Lex yelled out, but Blade covered her mouth again.

"Told ya, darlin', that we can't have ya going to tell anybody that you met us," Mike said. "Besides, we're gonna have ourselves a bit of a get-together tonight. We want you to be our guest of honor."

Lex struggled against Blade's grip again, but the pain he inflicted on her by tightening his hold was too much. At this point, Lex wished Mike had pulled the trigger. She was tired of bad things happening in her life. She wished she hadn't walked to Vinny's…she wished that someone would save her before they hurt her more.

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AN: I love writing about gangsters—they're fun. lol. Anyway, I'm not sure when the third chapter will be up, but hopefully soon. The action has yet to begin…mwuahahahaha ;)


	3. 3

**Author's Note:** To Scarlet-Moonlightshhh! Lol. ;) Just kidding. 'Tis sappy and pathetically predictable, but the fun is the in between stuff, now isn't it ;) hehe.

Also, I might be rushing it and stuff, but honestly, this fic has been giving me problems since I ended the first one, so if I don't get it down and out as I think of things and have that inspiration flowing, it won't ever get done. lol. Trust me...I've learned by now. lol.

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**3.**

Steven waited for nearly an hour, sitting like a fool at a table inside the restaurant, constantly telling the waiters that he'd wait to order because he expected someone else to join him. He tried Lex's cell phone, but there was no answer. He called the office and got the same result. It wasn't like Lex to do this to him; he idly wondered if it was him all together and she decided she wanted nothing to do with him. Then again, she'd be the type to tell that to his face. He was worried. Something happened to her and he didn't have the slightest clue as to what.

Finally, he got up and walked out, asking if he owed anything for taking up space and having three glasses of water. When they just old him not to do it again, he walked out and onto the street. Cars passed slowly, people walked back and forth, but Lex was nowhere in sight, like he had hoped she'd be, perhaps waiting for him to walk. He headed to his car paralleled parked across the street. Before he opened his door he gave a quick look around to see if he saw the black BMW Lex drove sitting anywhere. He let out a sigh and got into the car, turning the engine on and inched his way out of the spot.

He hadn't thought of her apartment. Actually, he felt stupid not to have called there before. He dialed the number on his phone and held it to his ear, his arm resting on the edge of the door where the window started. It rang four times and finally the answering machine picked up with the familiar, "Hi, you've reached Lex. Leave me a message."

"Lex, it's Steven," he said into the phone, hoping she'd pick up. "Lex, I'm worried about you. I don't care if you decided to not go to dinner, but just let me know you're okay….please, Love?" He gave up and hit the button to end the call.

He headed a few blocks down to where they worked. He wondered if there was some possibility that she was still in the office and just didn't answer the phone. He hoped that was the case….She just lost track of time; yes, that had to be the reason.

He parked his car in the back lot of the small brick building and headed up the back entrance. Larry the guard was there to see him come in. "Hey there, Mr. Whiting," Larry greeted.

"Evening, Larry," Steven replied graciously. "Hey, have you seen Lex?"

Larry tilted his hat back on his round head a bit. "Sure. She left here about, oh, two hours ago I think."

"Two hours ago?"

"Yeah. I figured she was heading home or something. It was about time I thought."

Steven was shocked. If Lex wasn't here….then maybe she had gone home? He thanked the guard again and headed back to the car. He'd drive for only five minutes before arriving at the small apartment complex Lex called home. He jogged up the several flights of stairs until he was on her floor. Two doors down, he stood at her door and rang the bell. He waited for any sort of sounds to come from within.

Nothing; it was completely silent. He fumbled with his key ring for the spare key she had given him in case of emergencies—he could only hope she was there and completely out of it; being drunk out of her head would be the only excuse at this point.

He opened the door in a rush and jumped in. His eyes gazed over the dark and empty open rooms. The only lights on was a small lamp in the living room and the stove light in the kitchen. Otherwise, there was no sign of life.

"Lex?" He called and received no answer. He began to feel very nervous. He had no idea what to do or even think now. It was starting to drive him insane with worry.

He headed over to the phone and called her cell again. No answer, just the voicemail which he had already left two messages. He caught sight of the blinking light on the answering machine. He pressed it and heard his own voice from minutes ago.

Steven ran his fingers through his thin brown hair and looked around for answers. The only thing he could do was call the cops—maybe she had been hurt and they knew something.

"911, how can I help you?" a woman's voice asked after he dialed the number.

"I'd like to report a missing person…or find out if there's any record of someone being injured in the past two hours?"

"May I have your name, sir?"

"Steven Whiting," he replied. "Look, I can't find my girlfriend. I think she may be in some sort of trouble."

"Well, Mr. Whiting, what's her name?"

"Lex…err…Alexa Woods."

"Can you give me a description?"

Steven sighed and thought quickly. "She's about five-foot-five, black hair, brown skin and eyes, fair build….ummm…"

"Do you know where she was when you last saw her?"

"I talked to her on the phone—she was at work."

"Did you try calling her after?"

"Yes! I called the office, her house, her cell phone—" He was starting to panic.

"Take deep breaths, Mr. Whiting," the lady said. "Now did you have a fight with her recently where she wouldn't answer your calls?"

"N-no," Steven replied, trying to calm himself. "She was going to meet me for dinner about an hour and a half ago. She's not one to just leave me hanging like that."

"Where are you calling from now?"

"Her apartment," he said. "I thought maybe she'd be here and asleep."

"And there's no sign of break in?"

Steven hadn't thought of that. He looked around and saw nothing out of place or broken. "No."

"Okay, I'm going to send a police unit out to your location. Stay where you are and the police will knock on the door when they get there. Do you want to stay on the line until then?"

"No….thanks." He hung up the phone and paced the room for a moment, cordless phone still clutched in his hand. He was nervous and worried….that was mildly putting it.

Steven turned around and rested the phone on the countertop of the kitchen island. The sound of a creaking floor made him turn on his heels sharply, thinking the cops had arrived. Then his logical side jumped in and told him that that was really soon, unless they just happened to be around the corner.

He headed over to the door and looked through the peephole to see an empty hall. "You're getting yourself all worked up, Steve," he told himself. When he turned around, however, his heart skipped several beats; the balcony door was ajar.

Steven was not a brave person, by no means. In fact, he remembered several instances in his youth when he was afraid of his own shadow—it was just something he could never get over. He wondered if that's why he admired Lex at certain points; she was everything he wasn't and he loved her for it.

"Hello?" he called out sheepishly, eyes searching the room. He slowly made his way over to the door and looked out onto the balcony, even looking up as if someone could be perched on the outside wall.

"You paranoid idiot," he snapped at himself, though it was mixed with a small laugh. He closed the door and made sure it was locked before turning around with a sigh.

His eyes widened. His thought he felt his heart stop this time. Something was moving…a silhouette of some kind that distorted the room wherever it went….Steven realized that he wasn't alone.

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**AN:** Wow….how terrible is this one? It's so….silly. lol. This one is short and you may ask why I bothered to cut it off, and yes…a cliffhanger. I did it again. A terrible one at that…So predictable. Sorry 'bout that, but I'm in it for the humor ;) What amazes me is that I'm getting it all out in one night like this! Well, maybe not all of it, but three chapters already? I really do need to get a life :)


	4. 4

**4.**

Steven could feel his face becoming hot as his stomach turned with nerves. Whatever it was across the room had stopped moving—perhaps to observe him as well. Then he started to wonder if this…thing, whatever it was, was the reason why Lex was missing. It kidnapped her!

He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. He let out a small yelp from the unexpected knock and quickly wiped his forehead of any sweat that might've formed. Whatever that thing was, it was gone now. He couldn't find a way to focus on any distortion, if it was indeed still there.

Hurrying over to the door, Steven looked out the peephole to see two officers looking around the hall. He unlocked and opened the door quickly; a huge sigh of relief swept over him now that he thought protection was here.

"Mr. Steven Whiting?" The taller cop asked. Steven found it hard to find any expression on the man from the darkness of the hall because his skin was so dark that the only real visible features he saw where his eyes and pure white teeth.

"Y-yes, yes," Steven said stepping aside for them to come in. "I'm glad you're here."

"Officer Felts," the same cop introduced. "This here is my partner, Officer Thomason. You say you're girlfriend has disappeared?"

Steven nodded and watched as Thomason started to look around the apartment. He wondered if they'd notice that something else might be in the room. Then he mentally scolded himself for believing something invisible was lurking about.

"Her name again?"

"Uh, Alexa Woods," Steven said, having a feeling they'd be asking him the same questions the 911 operator asked.

The cop made a note on a small pad. "Is this the first time something like this came up?"

"Yeah."

"And your relationship is ok? She's not trying to stay away from you?"

"If she is, she hasn't given me any signs that she's unhappy. When I called her she sounded like she wanted to go to dinner and stuff."

Thomason turned around and pointed to the strange spear on the wall. "What's this all about?"

Steven looked at it and rolled his eyes. "She got it as….a souvenir when she was out of the country or something. I don't even understand that one."

"What does Miss Woods do for her work?"

"We work together, actually," Steven said, "for that environmental firm downtown. She also spends a lot of time bringing scientists on expeditions—usually up icy mountains or something."

"Has she recently been on one?"

"A few weeks ago," Steven asked. "But if I know where this is going, then nothing out of the ordinary happened. Look, she just didn't show up to dinner and I know she left the office. I tried everything I knew to get a hold of her and I can't find her."

"Yes, we know," Felts said closing his notebook. "Do you live here?"

"No," Steven replied with a sigh. He felt that this was just a waste of time.

"Well, we'll put in a missing person report to the station and see where that brings us," Felts said tucking away the notebook into his coat pocket. "If she comes home, let us know. We'll give you a call tomorrow morning if we don't hear from you. If we're lucky, something will come in that will lead us to her whereabouts."

"That's it?" Steven asked as Thomason started to walk out the door.

"Unfortunately that's all we can do right now. You might want to stick around here for a while to see if she comes home."

"Can't you go looking for her or something?" Steven asked, completely in shock.

"Mr. Whiting, do you know how long it would take us to comb through this city? And even if we did start tonight we wouldn't get anywhere anytime soon. I'll let my colleagues know and they'll keep an eye out for. The lady you talked to on the 911 dispatch gave sent over her description already, so we're all set. Have a good night, sir."

Steven watched them leave. He felt like throwing his shoe or something at them as they closed the door gently behind them. How could they just come in and tell him to wait around? Lex could be in serious trouble! She might be hurt! She could be dead, for God's sake!

Steven stomped his foot on the floor and placed his hands on his hips, trying to think of what to do in the meantime. He had half a mind to go out and look for Lex himself. As he stared at the floor, however, he heard heavy footsteps leaving the hall and entering the kitchen. His head looked up slowly and he saw that same silhouette shaking the image of the refrigerator and then return it to normal as he moved away.

"Holy shit," he said and jumped away. "What the hell is that?"

He found himself backing up into the kitchen table, knocking it hard enough for the flower vase to tilt slightly. The form stopped and stood still. "Alright," Steven started again, convinced this wasn't his imagination, but his breath was ragged with fear. "I don't know who….or what you are..."

His words trailed off and the rest of his sentence was stuck in his throat when he heard a light beeping and a rumbling…purr? Blue sparks jumped around that invisible-like shape and a body became visible. He almost lost his balance when he saw what stood before him: a strange looking, armor-clad person, standing at over seven feet tall, wearing a strange looking mask with dreadlocks hanging on either side.

Steven let out a terrorized yell and fumbled to the other side of the table. "Who are you? What do you want? What did you do with Lex?"

The creature tilted its head to the side and let out a soft clicking nose. It kept its gaze directly at Steven as it approached him from the kitchen. Steven moved to the wall and let his hands move around blindly to find anything that could protect him from this monster. He got a good look at the rest of its body—thick, hard muscles, a spear peaking over its shoulder, and hands that looked more like claws. "Holy shit…I'm dead," he said to himself when he backed up into the far wall and could go no further.

The alien stood only a few feet from him and looked down at him like it was trying to figure out whether it wanted to eat him or not. Steven could feel his knees start to bend, only making the creature look that much bigger as he very slowly slid down the wall. "Don't hurt me…I swear, I didn't do anything!"

The creature let out that same clicking rumble and tilted its head the opposite way. Without warning it turned and walked away towards the bookcase. Steven watched and found himself trying to stand backup straight, although his legs were wobbling so bad he was amazed he wasn't flat on the floor by now.

He watched as a clawed hand moved out and grabbed a picture from one of the shelves of the bookcase. When he turned back to Steven, the human found himself jumping back up against the wall in alarm.

"What?" He asked trying to figure out what the creature wanted when it showed him the picture; it was a photo taken of him and Lex the week after they started going out.

The creature gave a few clicks again and pointed to Steven, then to the picture. "Yeah…that's me…" he answered, if that was what was being questioned. He felt very stupid, though when the creature pointed to the picture again and then to itself—he hadn't the faintest clue as to what it was trying to tell him.

"Look, I have no idea—" An angry-sounding growl made him shut his mouth. One finger of the alien pointed to the picture—Lex—and then to its helmet. Finally, it dawned on Steven. He caught sight of that strange mark on the metal mask and remembered the very same that was scared on Lex's cheek.

Steven started to laugh. "No…no, no, no…You're telling me that you're that thing she escaped with down in that pyramid last year?" The creature tossed him the picture and turned around to walk away.

Putting the picture down, Steven looked at the broad back of what he had been told was a hunter, according to Lex's brief story of what happened to her down at Bouvetoya Island. "You're a hunter…you're hunting Lex, aren't you!"

The hunter turned on his heal and growled loudly at Steven again and he immediately shivered when he felt the monster's anger ripple through him. "Sorry," he said. "Look, do you know where she is?" The hunter merely stared at him, its fingers flexing as if highly annoyed.

Steven ignored anything else except his worry for Lex now. If she was able to befriend this creature like she claimed to have, then he could too. "Lex is in trouble—I know she is. I can't find her. I think she may be hurt."

After a moment he sighed when this predator creature made no movement. "You have no idea what I'm saying, huh? Figures…."

He sighed and started to inch his way away from the wall when the hunter opened the door to the balcony. Steven hurried over. "Hey! Where are you going?" The hunter made no response as it stepped out onto the balcony. "Ok, buster, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but Lex is _my_ girlfriend and—"

He could tell that the color in his face must have disappeared completely when a long and powerful arm jumped out at him, a hand clutching his neck and raising him off the ground. He grabbed hold of the metal-covered arm and struggled to breath as the predator raised him higher than even it stood.

Steven couldn't find any words to say, and even if he could he probably wouldn't have been able to speak them. He monster seemed to be taunting him, its voice, (if that was what it was), purred with delight as it lowered him to the ground.

When he was released, Steven jumped back and held his throat with his hands, taking in deep breathes after feeling that he just escaped death by means of mercy. He glanced up to see the monster heading back over to the door.

"Wait," he choked out and held out a hand to stop the creature. "I want to find her," he said. "If that's where you're going, let me come with you. I can't sit and wait."

Steven waited for what seemed like eternity as the predator stood still, probably contemplating whether to allow him to tag along. Steven, in the meantime, wondered what the hell he was thinking—asking this nightmare of a monster to help him? And whatever he had said to convince this thing to do so, it turned around and reached out for the spear on the wall. With a sharp slink it retracted into itself and became a short, shiny pole.

Steven had no idea what it was doing—perhaps stealing Lex's prize to use for itself? He was wrong again; the spear was tossed to him and he barely caught it. The monster growled at him and head back to the door of the balcony.

Steven followed, but when he looked out to see just how high up he was, he suddenly had an urge to run back inside. "I don't do well with heights," he said, although he wished he hadn't. The predator growled at him; it leapt over the side of the railing and hung from the edge. Steven felt like throwing up. "There's no way I'm doing that!" He said.

The only thing he could do, though, was release the emergency fire ladder. He pulled at it until it jumped free and lengthened down to the next level. Thankfully this spear that Lex had donned some sort of metal-like sling which he hung on his shoulder so he could climb down.

It took Steven more time that he was sure this hunter wanted to wait for. Finally he gathered the courage to let go of the last ladder and fell to the pavement below. His legs gave way with the impact and he stumbled forward. Standing up quickly to keep what little dignity he had left, he looked around.

"Where'd you go?" He asked when he saw no sign of the hunter. "Great. I've been abandoned by a seven foot body builder."

A growl told him that he was actually not alone. Steven looked around, still not having any luck locating his new—companion—in the darkness of the street ally. "So you're here, but where." He felt something push him, which was probably supposed to be gentle (maybe) but he almost fell flat on his face.

"Look, if we're doing this together, you can't expect me to go along when I can't bloody see you!"

There was another angry growl, but the beep of whatever machine kept him hidden disappeared and the hunter was revealed once again. It pointed to him, pounded a fist to its chest, and then pointed to the street.

Steven sighed. He hoped there weren't many people wondering the streets of the city now—it was nearly ten thirty, but anyone still out wouldn't expect to see…this. He held the spear over his shoulder firmly as he let out a sigh when the hunter started to jog away. This was not going to be a terribly fun evening.

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**AN:** I have no idea when I'll be able to create chapter 5. This one was done between all of the crap I had to do this morning, but I had the urge to write it, although I'm a little skeptical if it came out the way I had originally planned. I love all the reviews, btw ;)


	5. 5

**Author's Note:** I greatly apologize for the amount of time that's gone by since my last post. If you must know as to why I'm such a terrible person with this it's because school and my job tried to kill me several times. That and other obsessions took over and poor little Scar was forgotten for the time being. This chapter was just typed up out of nowhere last night and I'm not sure how great it is; not to mention it's short. Funny perhaps, but I know I probably could've done better. Forgive me. At this point, this fic just needs to end. With that said, enjoy it. Note I'm not sure if 6 will be done anytime soon…I will try now that I have more time.

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**_5._**

Steven didn't know how much longer he could go without passing out. The back of this strange alien creature wasn't what he thought he'd be staring at when he had gotten up that morning. Whatever it was, wherever it was from, he wanted to know what it had eaten for breakfast that first of all gave him the body it did and second, where all the energy came from.

He really wondered if this…hunter, as Lex had described _it_ as really knew what it was doing. To him this creature was just running around in circles, stopping for only a few seconds to look around and then dodging off as if it found something.

Steven finally couldn't take it anymore. He stopped and called to the predator to wait a moment, having fully expected the irritable growl he received. "I can't run like you," he said. "I failed high school gym."

The predator, dreadlocks flipping over his shoulder, made a move towards Steven. His free hand clenched itself into a tight fist and pounded his chest; his other hand was holding a less menacing version of a spear. A clicking sound came from somewhere under the strange mask it wore, but Steven could only stare at it while trying desperately to catch his breath.

"Just...wait a second." He leaned over and stared at the cement sidewalk. He noticed from the corner of his eye that the predator had taken a few steps closer, its metal-clad feet stepping out of the shadows from the building next to them.

Steven wished he had enough breath to hell when he felt the collar of his shirt being pulled tightly back; the top button of the front of the shirt snapped off and flung itself into a nearby gutter. He tried with all his might to keep his balance as he felt himself being dragged backwards.

"Stop!" He finally yelled out. "Damn it let me go!"

He wished he hadn't said that. He knew he deserved to land on his rump with a hard thud that made the rest of him feel like an earthquake was ripping through his body. The predator stood with obvious anxiousness. He growled at him and started to walk away with long strides provided by his long, muscle-toned legs.

Steven wanted to cry. He scurried to his feet and jogged after his companion, but halted suddenly only moments later. The predator circled around something on the ground and for a moment Steven couldn't tell what his new…friend…had found. He moved aside and noticed what had caught the alien's attention. They both knelt down at the same time, and each picked up an object as if now both incredible detectives.

"That's Lex's cell phone!" Steven shouted pointing to the small phone in the hunter's clawed hand. "She must have been jumped—all of this stuff is hers."

He searched around the area but didn't see her wallet in sight. "I think she's in terrible trouble if she's not here and her stuff is."

The hunter growled and jumped to its feet, practically turning around in midair to jog down the street. Steven followed once again, his energy somehow coming back to him well enough to semi-keep up with the other. As he followed through a side alley, his eyes focused not on the ground, but at the predator's actions, he came to the conclusion that there was more to this creature than a typical, primitive hunter. In fact, he was starting to have his doubts at just how primitive he should consider this thing. The spear in his hand wasn't wood with a piece of rock on the end…it was actually quite sophisticated, for lack of better words. And the equipment he wore—he doubted all that metal was really a part of him. No, this thing was good. It had instincts and technology.

Maybe…just maybe they will find Lex soon.

Steven stopped a few steps behind the predator to watch him survey the surroundings. To him it looked like a normal alley littered with trash that gave it that that eerie, terrifying feeling that something would jump out from the darkness ahead. Then again, nothing was as bad as the company he was keeping. He decided that the next time he saw anyone standing on a street corner trying to look like they'd rip your head off if you didn't give them money, he'd laugh in their face and walk on.

Then he heard it--music; very loud music at that. He had a feeling that whoever was playing it had Lex with them; at least by the way the hunter was acting. "Lex," Steven said softly and took a step forward. The long arm of the hunter shot out and stiffly hung in front of Steven's face to keep him from moving on.

The predator moved on, in a much slower pace, its hand flexing itself over the shaft of the silver spear. He growled in a way that sounded almost satisfying. Steven looked around. The building on the right was a shop that had been out of business for nearly a month. The one on the left, though, was what used to be an old fire station until the new one was built several blocks away. The windows her boarded up, there was graffiti all over it and as far as Steven thought from driving by it a few times it was completely abandoned.

"Apparently not," he said when the predator started down a little further to where there was a fire-escape ladder rusting away on the side of the building. He followed and wanted to cry when he saw how easily the huge creature moved up the rod-steps and tore off one of the plywood boards on the window.

Without stressing over it any longer, Steven jumped up and grabbed the ladder, having a good amount of trouble pulling him up high enough to get a footing so he could climb up.

By the time he had reached the second floor platform, the predator was smashing the glass of the window and climbing through. Steven stood still for a moment so he could cover his ears. "Why don't you just announce over a loudspeaker that we're here," he muttered as he struggled to get his leg on the sill of the window.

The room they were now in was dark, cold and miserable. Paint was pealing off the walls, the floor looked filthy and pieces of furniture were oddly placed here and there. Steven felt like holding his breath from the musty smell, but the predator seemed to have other ideas. With the music blasting, no one could hear the creaking of the floor from the weight of the two intruders, something Steven was thankful for.

The hunter had found the hole in the floor with the steel pole extending from the ceiling to the level below, an old tool used by fire men for a quick descent to the trucks and equipment. He knelt down and listened intently. Steven hadn't a clue what he was listening for; all he could hear was that God-awful racket these people called music. He went over to the hunter who seemed to be contemplating what action he should take.

Steven knelt down and leaned over. To his surprise he could see a good portion of the garage below them—including Lex sitting in the corner with her hands tied together. "There she is!" He yelled in a whisper. The predator only pushed him back to get him out of the way. Steven brushed himself off from all the dust and dirt; the predator still knelt in the same spot. Obviously had something up his sleeve; what that was Steven was afraid to know.


End file.
